Helen Milroy talks Intergenerational Trauma

Tuesday 24 July 2018

The Healing Foundation hosted a webinar about healing for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders on 24 July, 10.30am to 12:00 pm AEST, at the State Library of Queensland.

Our Healing, Our Future: shaping strategies with our young people brought together a panel of young people and experts to discuss lived experience of Intergenerational Trauma, strategies for creating positive change, and building up our young people to develop strong healing programs.

Speakers included Professor Helen Milroy, a leader in Indigenous mental health and trauma; young advocates Tonii Skeen and Karlie Stewart; and Joel Wenitong, a respected community mentor and member of The Last Kinection.

The recording of the webinar is available below. Please contact community@healingfoundation.org.au if you have any further questions.

You can continue the conversation of Intergenerational Trauma on social media using the hashtag #OurFuture.

Professor Helen Milroy

Born and raised in Perth, Professor Helen Milroy is a proud descendant of the Palyku people of Western Australia. With her extensive experience in healthcare and child and adolescent psychiatry, she is uniquely placed to discuss the challenges facing young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders dealing with the effects of Stolen Generations policies and practices. Helen has been on state and national mental health advisory committees and boards with a particular focus on the wellbeing of children; and recently served as a Commissioner on the Royal Commission into Institutionalised Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

A call on practitioners to play a stronger role on Intergenerational Trauma

Dr Joel Wenitong

Dr Joel Wenitong is a Kabi Kabi Murri from south-east Queensland, and a much-respected Aboriginal community mentor. Over the years Joel has helped many young people to heal through music therapy workshops, while promoting the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through educational workshops. His dedication to integrating Aboriginal history and culture into nursing education has been recognised with the Indigenous Collaborations Excellence Award from the University of Newcastle and multiple Deadly music Awards. He is now currently practicing as a GP registrar in the Hunter region.

Karlie Stewart

Karlie Stewart is a proud Yuin Nation descendent who has worked extensively with young people. She is a fourth-year social work student and is part of the Healing Foundation Interim Youth Advisory Group. Karlie also works as an activities worker and caseworker with Weave’s Kool Kids Club, a not-for-profit organisation that provides a way up and forward for children, young people, families and communities.

Tonii Skeen

Tonii Skeen, descendant of the Yawuru Jabbir Jabbir, Bardi, Bunuba, Nyikina and Jaru people from across the Kimberley region. Tonii has a strong background in youth development, with seven year of experience. She has been involved in a number of community driven initiatives, including the Alive and Kicking Goals Suicide Prevention Project Women’s reference group, Kimberley Aboriginal Young Leaders committee. Tonii promotes greater levels of peer-to-peer education and support as essential factors for creating positive change from the grass-roots level.

About the Artwork

Designed in collaboration with young design student Catherine Curnow, the overall design for the Healing Foundation’s Intergenerational Trauma Campaign depicts healing through the acknowledgement of the pains of the past. The central element depicts the healing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout our nation.

As a main focal point of the design, the heart is symbolic of the shared pain we feel as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, families and communities. The heart symbol also depicts how we heal each other’s pain together as families and communities.

The eight icons throughout the design are symbolic of the sharing of these stories with the broader Australian people, in seeking an acknowledgement and understanding of what our people have been through over more than 230 years.

The lower part of the design depicts our ancestral past, which we celebrate. The middle section is symbolic of the days following colonisation and the pain that our families and communities went through, in particular, the removal of our children and dismantling of our families.

The top layer represents our brighter future. Through improved acknowledgement of our connection to our history, country and culture, our future generations can grow strong, with a full recognition by Australian society of the wrongs of the past.

Although we still live with the pain of colonisation and the hurt of forced removals, we reach back to our ancestral past and look forward to brighter futures for our young people. This pain and hurt is alleviated through the knowledge we share in our connection to our land, sea, culture and families.

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The Healing Foundation is a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation that partners with communities to address the ongoing trauma caused by actions like the forced removal of children from their families. Our work helps people create a different future.